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= The Glass factory. =
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,,,,~~*=%# Several Centuries After It Had Last #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Finally, The Natural End Station For ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ And A Gift Shop. ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= There'S A Long Time Since My Family =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Considered Poor. #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Practical. On The Eastern Building, =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Some Are Shattered. *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Glass Of Varying Thickness. =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# == #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ == == @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# ~~~~~~~ = = ~~~~~~~ #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## == == ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# == #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Other Building. The Contrast Is %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Derelict For A Long Time, Windows *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Windows Are Missing A Pane. ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= However, The Greatest Difference Is The =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Higher Floors: This Building Has None. %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# There Is, In The Middle Of The Great #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Lit From Behind. ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% There'S Someone Else On The Staircase %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# Of Dark Liquid glass. #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# == #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% == == %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= ~~~~~~~ = = ~~~~~~~ =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* == == *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ == ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ The Levers, Messing Them Up. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Drop That Falls Toward The Factory #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Floor. %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* The Last Of Him Rains Down. *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Become Still. @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% == %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= == == =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* ~~~~~~~ = = ~~~~~~~ *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ == == ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ == ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* Back At The Factory Floor, But The *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, #%=*~~,,,,
,,,~~*=%#@ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, @#%=*~~,,,
,,~~*=%#@# And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. #@#%=*~~,,
,~~*=%#@## ##@#%=*~~,
,,~~*=%#@# Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over #@#%=*~~,,
,,,~~*=%#@ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark @#%=*~~,,,
,,,,~~*=%# Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And #%=*~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*=% I See There'S Something Faint Inside %=*~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~*= Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? =*~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~* *~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ~~,,,,,,,,
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